paradise valley

I wish to point out a few things should someone be looking at a map as I did while planning their trip and end up at the wrong place.Paradise Loop is the actual drive. If you go to NPS.GOV website and look for Mount Rainier it is clear what is what. When traveling west, this loop exits off Stevens Canyon Road and loops around Paradise. This loop area consists of Nisqually Vista Trail, Skyline Trail, Golden Gate Trail, Myrtle Falls (half of it can be seen from the loop road), Paradise Inn, Henry Jackson Visitor Center and Paradise Park. On the map it looks like the park is encompassed by the Skyline and Golden Gate trails and Paradise Valley appears to be down the hill in back of Paradise Inn. But now I think the Golden Gate Trail divides the park and valley. One thing is for certain, posting of pictures are those seen along the Golden Gate Trail.Parking is at the Henry Jackson Visitor Center located next to Paradise Inn. If you are staying at the inn, you can park in either lot (visitor or inn) with a parking pass because of staying overnight but no pass is needed to park at the visitor center. Parking is horrendous here so go early or be prepared to drive around a while. It took me 20 minutes to find parking in the afternoon for Paradise Inn where I was staying 2 nights. I ended up parking at the visitor center located next door to the inn as numerous other people did because there is not enough at the inn itself.The trail to Paradise Park (valley) can be accessed at the end of the parking lot which is next to the entrance of Paradise Inn. This is also the starting point for the Golden Gate Trail and Skyline (if you are going counterclockwise). The path starts out paved but eventually turns into a pretty nice dirt/gravel path at Myrtle Falls. Waterfall from the glacier goes under the bridge to form the first half of Myrtle Falls but the second half of Myrtle Falls can be seen on Paradise Loop road directly in back of Paradise Inn. They are equally nice views. I want to say there was wheelchair access somewhere down toward the visitor center. If so, you would not be able to go past the bridge at Myrtle Falls nor would they be able see Myrtle Falls as it is another short but STEEP path going down to the falls overlook, and then a small leap is required to finally get to the bottom for picture taking. But, the valley of wildflowers and waterfalls (plural) coming of the mountain can be breathtaking from the bridge.This is where the Golden Gate Trail starts and goes up 1 mile with a few switchbacks toward the end of the trail. The Skyline splits to the right past Myrtle Falls. Both Golden and Skyline join at the top and from there it is now the Skyline Trail with 3 more miles to go around the top and end up at the visitor center.If you take the split to Skyline, then you miss the full glory of the valley/park and the staff will tell you the wildflowers are abundant on the Golden Gate in August. However, you do see another waterfall (Sluiskin Falls) on the Skyline that is not seen on the Golden Gate. I keep mentioning the Golden Gate because this is the trail to access the entire valley.The valley/park is littered with wildflowers in August. I went the first week and Bear Grass, Glacier Lilies along with red and blue hues were everywhere. Several waterfalls come off the mountain and spill into the valley. If you go to the top of the Golden Gate Trail, you can get a great view of the mountain range on a clear day but it is better at panorama point. Some people might wonder if it is easier starting in this direction – it isn’t. If you intend on doing a portion of Skyline and Golden Gate, I think going clockwise is the best route. Clockwise starts at the granite steps next to the visitor center. Even if you go a little ways, it is worth the effort.

Nisqually Vista Trail is a must see/do when you visit Mt. Rainier. Walking through the woods, you emerge and see amazing views of the glaciers on Mt. Rainier. We saw three deer grazing nearby as well. It is about 1.2 miles long, and a loop, so you see different scenery as you walk along. We were there in early October and the shrubs were splendid in fall colors of red and yellow.

The view of Mt. Rainier is great. The flowers blooming around the visitors center is also wonderful. The colors are bright and beautiful. We brought a picnic lunch and enjoyed eating at the picnic tables in the lodge. It was an inspiring experience.

Paradise lives up to its name. Fabulous views of the mountain and wonderful colors. We visited in September with the bushes and shrubs were brilliant red and yellow, constrasting with late flowers and the green of the conifers. Some nice trails leading up to better and closer views of the glaciers. The 21-minute film about the park at the visitor center is well done.

My favorite place to go in the summer. A lot of beautiful trails and the possibility of seeing wildlife from Marmots to Bears. At the end of July and the first couple of weeks in Aug. the wildflowers are beautiful.

What makes Paradise so special is the fact that its breathtakingly beautiful no matter what time of the day or season you visit. Early in summer when there's still plenty of snow, the hikes around Paradise are still picturesque as the snow adds its own beauty. Later in the summer, once the snow melts and the flowers are in full bloom, the valley takes on a different appearance altogether. Hiking in Paradise late in the evening during sunset is truly a spectacular experience. Mount Rainier takes on a magical golden pinkish hue during dusk. Add in the wildflowers and its postcard perfect, from every angle. An added bonus is the great night sky viewing program at the Paradise visitor center that you can enjoy after the hikes. We got to see see Saturn (and its rings!!) plus got a close-up view of the craters on the moon.

What a great way to spend the day! There are many trails from easy to strenuous ratings. The views are beautiful. There is a nice visiter center with food, souvenirs and information on all the trails. This is a must-see area.

Tip: What the locals know: Go early in the day as the mountain makes its own weather and sometimes (even if the day is clear and sunny) it can cloud over in the early afternoon."New" Visitor's Center is great; food okay, good giftshop. More in keeping with the outdoors than the old "space ship". The 20 minute movie in the Theater is nice.All level of ability hikes available: serious hikers to walkers on paved walks. Reader board at the stair entrance gives details. Can just spend hours outside with a book or looking at the mountain if you prefer a more leisurely experience.Paradise Inn has a more "formal" restaurant and cafeteria style food also available.

From the Nisqually entrance we stopped at several spots on our way up to Paradise Valley including Longmire, Christine Falls, Ricksecker Point and Narada Falls.Ricksecker Point Road is a short one way loop with three distinct pullout areas. Each is worth getting out of the car for a look at the amazing views. This loop road is scheduled to be closed for repairs (early Sep 2014) so check ahead. Longmire is a lovely area for strolling. We walked over the suspension bridge - ask a ranger for directions. Christine Falls is very picturesque and worth parking even though you can see it from the road. Don't miss Narada Falls. Walk down the steep path to the viewing area -- we saw the most brilliant rainbow at the base of the falls. All of this was a great prelude to gorgeous Paradise Valley.

We went on the Nisqually vista trail in the Paradise valley. It was a very beautiful trail with meadows and views of the distance snow covered peaks. You should definitely go on this trail if you visit paradise valley.

Who knew such an amazing national park was just a 2 1/2 hour drive from Portland? Nice mix of easier and more challenging hikes. Great views of Mt Rainier.Standard entrance fee is $15 and they appreciate $5 and $10 bills.Definitely worth a long day trip or easy overnight adventure.

gets super busy, especially on the weekends. go there early otherwise you may be forced to parked more than a mile outside the centre.

It is more crowded on this side of the park. The elevation is a bit lower than at the visitor center, but a great place to hike and see waterfalls.

We went yesterday and thought the snow would melt by now and we're wrong. It cost $15 to entered the park but worth it. We drove all the way to Paradise but along the way, there are trails and view points that people can stop and enjoy. The wildflowers are blooming along the way until we got to our destination. We don't usually go in July because we went there a couple of times before and it's the same result, snow. We usually go in August and that is when the snow melt. We always do a family outing every year and bring food to cook and eat and take hikes and enjoy the breathtaking view.

Perfect day in June with sunshine and snow and food was great at the lodge also.Cannot say more positives about this area.